Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's musculature for aesthetic purposes. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders appear in lineups and perform specified poses for a panel of judges who rank the competitors based on criteria such as symmetry, muscularity, and conditioning. Bodybuilders prepare for competitions through the elimination of nonessential body fat, enhanced at the last stage by a combination of intentional dehydration and carbohydrate loading, to achieve maximum muscular definition. Bodybuilding is a highly competitive sport that is growing in popularity every single day. Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most exciting things about bodybuilding is the anticipation leading up to each show. You know which athletes are going to be competing several months in advance, but what you don’t know is how they’re going to look on the famous day.
When talking about fierce rivalries however, one of the greatest and most popular rivalries in all of bodybuilding was back in the 70’s, between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Schwarzenegger he is probably known by over 90% of the world’s entire population. Back in the 70’s however, he was far from being the blockbuster he is today. He was a star only for bodybuilding fans and promoters. At 6ft 2 and around 240lbs competition weight, Arnold had a reputation for being one of the bigger men in bodybuilding, as many other competitors stood at around 5ft 10 or slightly smaller in some cases.. He entered numerous shows and dominated the competition for years upon years, eventually winning the prestigious Mr Olympia title on numerous occasions. Nobody was really able to threaten his supremacy until one day, a young up and comer by the name of Lou Ferrigno emerged.
Lou Ferrigno was born in Brooklyn New York in 1951. multiple ear infections left Lou partially deaf, costing him around 80% of his hearing. His father got him interested in sports especially lifting weights and he started competition that led him to win the IFBB Mr America title and the IFBB Mr Universe title just 4 years later. Lou stood at 6ft 5 inches tall and competed at around 275 lbs, making him over 40 pounds heavier than Arnold, and a good 3 inches taller. Arnold was one of his role models and he even trained with him. Arnold saw immediately the unlimited potential of LOU.
In 1974, Lou was ranked 3rd behind Serge Nubret and Arnold. The stage was set for a battle in 1975. This entire compettion will be filmed in a must see documentary named "Pumping Iron " which will be released in 1977 . Arnold was on his way fr a 6th title and LOu for his first, knowing that it would be Arnold's last competition (his last chance to beat him) . The entire event was filmed for the 1977 docudrama "Pumping Iron" which featured the big rivalry between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno as they were training for the contest.
On November 11th, 1975, the 11th edition of the IFBB professional Mr. Olympia was in Pretoria, South Africa and The winner was once again Arnold Schwarzenegger. The battle was tough this time (and even controversial ). Pumping Iron was a huge element in the growth of bodybuilding. the personalities of the athletes, their preparation, and their rivalries was not well known by the public.
The interesting part of the movie is the personnality of Arnold and the mental game thqat he plays with his opponents. Arnold was cocky and was getting into the head of his larger opponent on numerous occasions. Arnold was really aware of Lou's talent and he knew that psychological aspect was in his favor. that interraction he had with Lou and his father was the perfect example : “You know, it’s amazing,” Schwarzenegger says over eggs with his competitor. “Can you imagine the feeling I have? Six-time Mr. Olympia. Six f—ing times. It’s incredible.”Schwarzenegger was s so convincing that Ferrigno and his father seem to have also accepted that Schwarzenegger already won, which he would indeed go on to do.
Another example, Arnold explained: It was very clear when I said to someone, “Let me ask you something, do you have any knee injuries or something like that?” Then they would look at me and say, “No, why? No, I have no knee injury at all. No, my knees feel great.” And they say, “Why are you asking?” I said, “Well because your thighs look a little slimmer to me. I thought maybe you can’t squat or maybe there’s some problem with leg extension.” He says, “Really?” And then I saw them all for two hours in the gym always going in front of the mirror and checking out their thighs … People are vulnerable about those things.
Lou ferrigno still had a great career and In 1977, he was cast as the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk. That role will make him famous in the world.
Apparently..... only ARNOLD could beat HULK !
To know more about the subject:
Arnold Schwarzenegger Filmography". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
Blitz, Michael; Louise Krasniewicz (2004). Why Arnold Matters: The Rise of a Cultural Icon. New York: Basic Books
Arnold Schwarzenegger Pro Bodybuilding Profile". Bodybuilding.com. October 11, 2015. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
Hyson, Sean (September 14, 2012). "Interview With Arnold". Sean Hyson: Fitness Distilled. Archived from the original on August 19, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's competitive bodybuilding history 1963–1966". GMV Productions. Archived from the original on May 6, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Mr. Olympia – 1970–1975, 1980". BodyBuild.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Greatest Bodybuilder Ever - IllPumpYouUp.com". illpumpyouup.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
Pumping Iron and the birth of the 80s action hero". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
How Pumping Iron Gave Birth to the Incredible Hulk". Arnold Body Building. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
